STAFF WRITER
Namibia set new benchmarks in the wildlife auction market this weekend as a hybrid game auction in Windhoek shattered previous records.
A kudu bull from the Gobabis area, boasting a horn size of 68 inches (over 1.7 metres), sold for a record-breaking N$4.5 million. An oryx followed at N$3.1 million, marking some of the highest prices ever recorded in the country.
“I got a N$4.5 million dollar there…here is the hammer…are we sure…all through, 4.5 million done,” said Brandon Leer, the auctioneer, as the sale closed to applause.
Leer described the event as “very exciting and just great all round really.”
The auction was hosted by Blaauwberg Auctioneers, with online bidding facilitated by Meerkat. Behind the scenes, Super Game’s Martenique Scott and Jan Blaauw coordinated a total of 74 lots, which included white rhino, waterbuck, melanistic zebra, golden oryx, springbok, sable, white-flanked impalas, and kudus.
“If I am not mistaken, this was probably the second highest turn-over of a game auction in this country, which was exceptional. I think we raised just over N$26 million for 74 lots of animals, which is actually quite spectacular,” Leer added.
Among the top six sales were the record-setting kudu bull, the N$3.1 million oryx, another kudu bull at N$1.5 million, a white rhino at N$725,000, a white-flanked impala ram at N$800,000, and a waterbuck bull with a horn length of over 38 inches at N$450,000.
Leer noted that the auction has now become “an elite auction,” focusing on animals with “elite genetics and accurate pedigrees.” He said sellers who had invested time, effort, and resources into producing high-quality animals were rewarded accordingly.
When asked what makes Namibian wildlife exceptional, Leer said: “Namibia is such a healthy environment for game in their natural state, and that is what makes the genetics here automatically exceptional. We are taking animals that are already in a suitable environment and pairing them off with spectacular individuals. The huge open spaces in Namibia, and the ability of these animals to range, roam, and multiply freely, is quite unique in Africa and elsewhere in the world.”
This marked the sixth Super Game auction in Namibia.
COMMENTS